Constraining display motion in display navigation

ABSTRACT

Navigating on a display includes tracking motion of an input tool on a display, comparing a motion of the input tool to a threshold, and changing a position of the visible portion of a page of information on the display if the input tool motion exceeds the threshold. The position of the visible portion of the page of information on the display is constrained if the motion does not exceed the threshold.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.12/963,444 filed on Dec. 8, 2010, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 11/617,997 filed on Dec. 29, 2006 and issued asU.S. Pat. No. 7,872,640, which is a continuation of U.S. applicationSer. No. 10/307,403 filed on Dec. 2, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,193,609,which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 60/368,988filed on Apr. 2, 2002; 60/365,160 filed on Mar. 19, 2002; 60/365,161filed on Mar. 19, 2002; and 60/365,197 filed on Mar. 19, 2002. Each ofthe aforementioned applications and patents are hereby incorporated byreference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The following description relates generally to a viewing and navigationaid for displaying information on an electronic device having limiteddisplay capability.

BACKGROUND

Web pages and other electronic documents generally are formatted forviewing and navigation in display windows of standard-sized or oversizeddisplays, such as, for example, in a display window on a monitor for adesktop computer. The user of the computer can view the entire Web pageon one screen display or can easily scroll a short distance to viewother portions of the Web page. However, when content is displayed on anelectronic device having a display window with smaller dimensions, suchas, for example, the display window of a personal digital assistant(“PDA”) only a small portion of the Web page is displayed. This mayrender the document may be difficult to read.

SUMMARY

In one general aspect, navigating on a display includes tracking motionof an input tool on a display, comparing the motion of the input tool toa threshold, changing the position of the visible portion of a page ofinformation on the display if the motion exceeds the threshold, andconstraining the position of the visible portion of the page ofinformation on the display if the motion does not exceed the threshold.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Forexample, the input tool may be a pen stylus or a finger, and trackingmotion of the input tool may include tracking the pen or finger on thedisplay surface.

The display may include a touch screen and tracking motion of the inputtool may include tracking motion of the input tool on the touch screen.The touch screen may include, for example, a resistive sensor, acapacitive sensor, an acoustic wave sensor, or an infrared sensor. Thetouch screen may include a sensor activated by a touch activation forceby the input tool on the display.

The motion may be separated into a horizontal component and a verticalcomponent relative to the display, the horizontal component may becompared to the threshold, and horizontal movement of the visibleportion of the page of information on the display may be constrained ifthe horizontal component does not exceed the threshold. Vertical motionmay be left uncompared and unconstrained or comparing the motion alsomay include comparing the vertical component and constraining thevertical movement of the visible portion of the page of information onthe display. Comparing the motion of the input tool to the threshold mayinclude comparing the motion of the input tool to a user-definedthreshold or to a system-defined threshold.

The page of information may include columns of information, andconstraining the position of the page of information on the display mayinclude constraining the position of the columns of information on thedisplay or constraining the horizontal position of a column ofinformation on the display. The columns of information may includelogical columns, and constraining may include constraining thehorizontal position of a logical column on the display.

In another general aspect, navigating on a display includes moving astylus on a display to cause the display to change the viewable portionof the page of information on the display from a first page view to asecond page view, tracking the motion of the stylus on the display,comparing a horizontal motion of the stylus on the display to athreshold, maintaining the viewable portion of the page of informationat the first page view if the horizontal motion does not exceed thethreshold, and positioning the viewable portion of the page ofinformation at the second page view if the horizontal motion exceeds thethreshold.

Implementations may include one or more of the features described above.

In another general aspect, navigating on a display includes tracking amotion of a stylus in contact with a display surface of a device that isoperable to change a position of a visible portion of a page ofinformation on the display from a first page position to a second pageposition in response to the motion of the stylus. A horizontal orvertical component of the motion of the stylus on the display surface iscompared to a threshold, and the visible portion of the page ofinformation on the display is repositioned to a horizontal or verticalposition corresponding to the first page position after the pen stylusis removed from the display surface if the horizontal or verticalcomponent does not exceed the threshold.

Implementations may include one or more of the features described above.

Implementations of the techniques described may include a method orprocess, an apparatus or system, or computer software on acomputer-accessible medium. The techniques may be used in conjunctionwith devices such as, for example, PDAs, telephones, including wirelessand web phones, handheld computers, monitors, games, and electronicbooks. The details of one or more implementations are set forth in theaccompanying drawings and the description below. Other features will beapparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-1D are screen shots of a page on display windows of varyingdimensions.

FIG. 2 illustrates a display window superimposed onto a page.

FIG. 3 illustrates a display window superimposed onto a column ofinformation from a page.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate reformatting of a page.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a method of reformatting a page.

FIG. 6 illustrates a display window and pen stylus superimposed onto apage.

FIG. 7 illustrates a display window with navigation buttons.

FIGS. 8A-8C illustrate display windows superimposed onto a page.

FIGS. 9 and 10 each illustrate a display window superimposed onto apage.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart of a method of navigating on a display window.

FIGS. 12, 13, 14A and 14B each illustrate a display window superimposedonto a page.

FIG. 15 is a flow chart of a method of constraining the scrolling ofinformation on a display window.

FIG. 16 illustrates a display window superimposed onto a page.

FIGS. 17A and 17B each illustrate a display window and a stylus.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram of a computer and communications system.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Pages coded according to hypertext markup language (“HTML”) are designedfor display in display windows of different sizes. On smaller displays,a width of a display window often corresponds to a width of a displayminus a width of a window frame and a width of a vertical scroll bar,and may be constrained to be no larger. On larger displays, the width ofa display window may constitute a smaller portion of the entire width ofthe display. In some cases, a display window may constitute the entiretyof the display (i.e., there may be no window frame or scroll bar). Inother cases, the display window may be purposefully sized to besubstantially smaller than the overall size of the display. For example,a user of a desktop system with a large display may open a small displaywindow to view a particular page.

Typically, a page expands or shrinks to match the width of the displaywindow. FIG. 1A illustrates a page 100 in a wide display window 105having a window frame 106 and a scroll bar 107. The display window 105may be, for example, the window that would be displayed on the monitorof a desktop computer. As shown, the page 100 expands to fit the windowwidth 108.

FIG. 1B shows the page 100 on a device having a smaller display window110. As shown, the page width is reduced to fit the width of the displaywindow 110 by reducing the width of columns 115, 120 and 125 presentedin the display window 100 relative to the width of corresponding columns130, 135 and 140 in the display window 105. In particular, the centercolumn 120 in the display window 110 is substantially narrower than thecorresponding center column 135 in the display window 105.

The width of the columns may only be reduced until a minimum width forthe page is reached. FIG. 1C shows the page 100 in a display window 145that is narrower than the established minimum width of the page 100 suchthat the page 100 exceeds the bounds of the display window 145 and onlya portion of the page 100 is displayed by display window 145. As shown,the entire width of the center column 150 is displayed, while onlyportions of the left column 155 and the right column 160 are displayed.The display window 145 also includes a horizontal scroll bar 165 and avertical scroll bar 170 for use in selecting and viewing the columns andthe portions thereof that are displayed.

In some cases, the display window is narrower than the width of a singlecolumn. For example, FIG. 1D shows the page 100 in a display window 175of a portable electronic device, such as, for example, anInternet-enabled cellular telephone. As shown, only a portion of asingle column 180 is displayed. As a result, the user must scroll backand forth horizontally, using, for example, a scroll bar 185, to readeach line of text.

FIG. 2 illustrates a display window 200 superimposed onto the page 100.The display window 200 is representative of the display of, for example,a PDA. Since the page and column are each larger than the display window200, the user must scroll back and forth to read each line of text. PDAbrowsers may use various reformatting methods to enhance the readabilityof the page. Reformatting may include scaling down images, text size,and other page components.

FIG. 3 shows the page 100 reformatted as a single column 300. Inparticular, the columns of the page 100 are stacked to form the singlecolumn 300, the width of the column 300 is limited to the width of thedisplay window 200, and word wrapping is used to providecontinuity/readability. The display window 200 stays centered on thecolumn as the user scrolls down the page to read the text.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show that a page 400 (FIG. 4A) having elements 402, 404,406 and 408 of differing widths and sized to fit a wide window width 410may be reformatted as a page 415 (FIG. 4B) having elements 417, 419, 421and 423 with widths corresponding to the width 425 of a narrow display(e.g., a PDA display). The elements 417, 419, 421 and 423 are readablecolumns of information that each fit within the width 425 of the displaywindow or can be reduced to a width that does not exceed the width ofthe display window 425. The elements 417, 419, 421 and 423 are alignedto correspond with the topology of the page 400. Thus, even though thepage 415 exceeds the viewing boundaries of the display window, the usercan view various portions of the page 415 with a better sense of theorientation of the content on the page 415 and can navigate on the page415 more easily. Each column of text can be read without requiring theuser to scroll back and forth horizontally. Instead, the user scrollsdown as if reading a newspaper column.

Reformatting a page requires identification of the page topology fromthe page format coding. As shown in FIG. 4, a common HTML page topologyincludes a header 430 with no logical columns, a body including one ormore logical column elements 402, 404, 406 and 408, and a colophon 435with no logical columns. Other variations of this topology include aheader, a first body having N columns, another header, a second bodyhaving M columns, with M being the same as or different from N, and acolophon; a header, multiple bodies, and a colophon; a header, a body,and no colophon; no header, a body, and no colophon; or a header, nobody, and no colophon.

The topologies described above have some common features. For example,the headers usually do not contain long paragraphs of text. Thus,headers seldom need to be reformatted for the display window of the PDAviewing device. In the event that the header is wider than the displaywindow, navigation through the header is not difficult for the user.Similarly, the colophon usually does not contain long paragraphs of textand may be easily navigated. Typically, the body or bodies are laid outin one or more columns. The columns can be constrained to the windowwidth to enhance readability, as described with respect to FIGS. 3, 4Aand 4B. Based on these topologies, most HTML pages are readilyreformatted into constrained sets of logical columns, with no columnexceeding the display width.

Referring to FIG. 5, a process 500 for enabling viewing of a page on adisplay includes detecting the page layout (step 505), comparing thelayout to the dimensions of the display window (step 510), andreformatting the page into aligned columns that are viewable on thedisplay (step 515). In one implementation, the page layout is detected(step 505) by separating the layout of the page into components and thenanalyzing those components. The page coding may be identified torecognize formatting codes. For example, HTML code includes identifiableheader, body, or table tags. Once the HTML tags are identified, the pagemay be recoded in a language other than HTML for easier viewing on thesmall display window.

The width of each logical column is less than or equal to the displaywindow width. The logical columns may be produced by comparing the widthof each column of the page to a width of the display window andestablishing a new column width that does not exceed the display windowwidth. Typically, the new column width is smaller than the originalcolumn width. However, in some implementations, a column that isnarrower than the display window width may be widened to have a newwidth that does not exceed the display window width. The logical columnsthen are aligned for viewing on the display.

When the display is part of a client of a client/host architecture, thehost may be notified of the display window size from informationresiding at the client or residing at the client. For example, the hostmay be notified upon establishment of a connection between the clientand the host, at time intervals after establishing the connectionbetween the client and the host, or after any change in the displaywindow size. The host then may reformat the page based on the displaywindow size prior to delivery to the client. Alternatively, the clientmay perform the reformatting.

Typically, PDA navigation is performed by using scroll bars to move onor between pages of information on the display.

Referring to FIG. 6, another common PDA navigation feature is thecapability to scroll the display window by placing a stylus 600 on thedisplay window 605 and then dragging the stylus 600. However, such“touch-and-drag” scrolling can result in information 610 that ispositioned in the display window 605 but is difficult to view or readsince the user may inadvertently navigate to a position where only aportion of a column or an image is visible in the PDA display window605.

Referring to FIG. 7, to aid user navigation to view a desired textcolumn, a display window 700 includes small icons 705, 710, and 715 thatrepresent navigation buttons. Each of navigation buttons 705, 710 and715 represents a logical column of the page currently being viewed. Thenavigation buttons 705, 710 and 715 provide the user with a graphicalrepresentation of the number of logical columns 700 available on thepage. In other implementations, the navigation buttons correspond tocolumns of predetermined absolute or relative position within the page(e.g., leftmost column, rightmost column, left adjacent column, rightadjacent column or center column). Each button also is used to properlyposition the display window 700 on the corresponding column of text whenthe user selects the icon. For example, referring to the tri-columndisplay of FIG. 8A, when the user selects the left-most navigationbutton 705, the window 700 is positioned on the left-most or firstlogical column 805 of a page 800. Referring to FIG. 8B, when the userselects the central navigation button 710, the window 700 is positionedon the second logical column 810 of the page 800. Referring to FIG. 8C,when the user selects the right-most navigation button 715, the window700 is positioned on the third or right logical column 815 of the page800.

The number of navigation buttons can vary according to the number oflogical columns. For example, if a page displayed in the window 700 hasjust one column, then the display includes one column navigation icon.If the page being displayed has two columns, then the display includestwo column navigation icons. Depending upon the display limitations ofthe window, any number of icons can be displayed to correspond with thenumber of columns. When the element displayed in the window is one thathas no logical column, such as, for example, a header or a colophon, theicons for the following or preceding logical columns may be displayeddepending on the user's preference.

As the number of logical columns increases, the user has more optionsfor jumping discretely between columns. This can cause the user tobecome disoriented concerning the position of the page relative to thedisplay window, which may result in the user selecting an incorrectscrolling direction to view other parts of the page. For example,referring to FIG. 9, the user may begin viewing a page 900 by selectinga first column 905 of columns 905, 910 and 915 for display in the window920. The user then may decide to jump to the third text column 915 toview the information in that column. Subsequently, the user may decideto return to the previously viewed first column 905. However, since theappearance of the display window 920 changed instantaneously when theused jumped discretely between the text columns 905 and 915, the usermay not recall the position of the previously-viewed text columnrelative to the currently-displayed column.

Referring to FIG. 10, as the user navigates to various positions on thepage 900, animation effects 925 are provided to give the user a bettersense of direction and position. The animation effects add a sense ofmotion to the content being displayed. For example, in oneimplementation, when the user actuates a navigation button 930 to moveto a new location on the page 900, the user sees the page 900 slowlyscrolling across the display window, as represented by the series ofarrows 935 in FIG. 10, until the new location is centered on the displaywindow 920. Animation also may be provided in response to a stylus orfinger used on a display window with a touchscreen. The touchscreen mayinclude, for example, a resistive sensor, a capacitive sensor, anacoustic wave sensor, or an infrared sensor.

Referring to FIG. 11, a procedure 1100 for supporting navigation on adisplay includes providing a navigation control operable to change aviewable portion of a page of information on a display from a first viewto a second view (step 1105), permitting operation of the navigationcontrol to change the display from the first view to the second view(step 1110), and animating the display to create an appearance of motionas the viewable portion of the page of information changes from thefirst view to the second view (step 1115). Operation of the navigationcontrol may include operation of a device such as a mouse or trackball,use of a stylus, or use of a voice command.

Animation on the display may include one or more animation effect. Forexample, animating the display (step 1115) may include slowly scrollingor shifting the display content to give the display an appearance ofslow motion. In another implementation, animating the display (step1115) includes illustrating a visible portion of the page of informationmoving continuously on the display from the first view to the secondview. In a further implementation, animating the display (step 1115)includes drawing a line from the first view to the second view. In stilla further implementation, animation (step 1115) includes displaying areference marker moving from the first view to the second view. This maybe done, for example, using a separate window or portion of the display.In one implementation, the user selects a velocity at which to changethe viewable portion of the page from the first view to the second view.In another implementation, the user selects an acceleration at which tochange the viewable portion of the page of information from the firstview to the second view. The user also may select a constant or variablevelocity or acceleration. For example, the user may select a variablevelocity that begins scrolling the display slowly, picks up speed, andthen slows down again as the displayed portion approaches the secondview.

Referring to FIG. 12, on a stylus-based PDA, the user can use a stylus1200 to scroll a display window 1205 vertically down a page 1210 inorder to read a column 1215, 1220 or 1225 of text of the page 1205.However, referring to FIG. 13, vertical touch-and-drag scrolling has adrawback in that slight horizontal motion or “wobbling” of the pen 1200,as represented by the series of arrows 1230, can cause the text column1125, 1220, or 1225 to become misaligned on the display 1205, resultingin a misalignment between the column 1215, 1220, or 1225 and the displaywindow 1205. To correct for this and to view a desired one of thecolumns 1215, 1220, or 1225 in one view, the user manually centers thedesired column in the display window 1205 by making one or more left orright corrections to the stylus 1200.

Referring to FIG. 14A, a vertical alignment control, as represented bythe vertical bars 1400, can minimize wobble of the display 1205 duringvertical scrolling with the pen 1200. As the user scrolls the page up ordown with the stylus 1200, the vertical alignment control ignores slighthorizontal motion such that the text column 1220 remains aligned in thedisplay window 1205. This is based on the assumption that, when thewindow 1205 is positioned over a logical column 1220 and the user dragsthe pen up or down without significant horizontal motion, the intentionof the user is to view only the logical column 1220. Based on thisassumption, the alignment control constrains screen scrolling to thevertical direction as long as the stylus stays between the bars 1400.

The user can define the sensitivity of the vertical alignment control.For example, the user may specify a horizontal motion threshold (i.e.,the spacing between the bars 1400). If the threshold is not exceeded,any horizontal motion by the pen 1200 on the screen is ignored. If thethreshold is exceeded, the displayed text moves left or rightaccordingly. In one implementation, the user can adjust the sensitivityof the horizontal motion by establishing a threshold for a parametricnumber of pixels. The two vertical bars 1400 represent the threshold ofhorizontal motion, measured as the parametric amount of pixels, whichmust be exceeded to scroll the display window 1205 left or right. Thevertical alignment controls may be enabled or disabled by the user.

Referring to FIG. 14B, in another implementation, the vertical alignmentcontrol is enabled when the user lifts the pen 1200 from the display1205. This causes the logical column 1220 to snap into alignment withthe display window 1205 as the user stops scrolling. The user can adjustthe snap sensitivity by, for example, setting the alignment control tosnap to the nearest logical column based on a user-defined snapthreshold. If the user's scrolling does not exceed the threshold, whichindicates an intention to continue to view the text column 1220, thedisplay 1205 centers the logical column 1210 as the pen 1200 is liftedfrom the screen. If the user's scrolling exceeds the threshold, whichindicates an intention to move beyond the boundary of the logical column1220, the display is snapped to the adjacent or repositioned column. Inother implementations, no snapping occurs when the user's scrollingexceeds the threshold. The snap-on-column feature can also be animatedto provide an appearance of movement as the display scrolls to thecorrect column-viewing position.

A similar horizontal alignment control also may be provided. Such acontrol may be used to limit vertical movement when scrollinghorizontally in, for example, a spreadsheet application.

Referring to FIG. 15, a procedure 1500 for supporting navigation on adisplay includes tracking user motion of an input tool for a display(step 1505), comparing a motion of the input tool to a threshold (step1510), and constraining the position of the visible portion of the pageof information on the display if the user motion does not exceed thethreshold (step 1515). The input tool may be a stylus 1200 or fingerused on a display window 1205 with a touchscreen. The touchscreen mayinclude, for example, a resistive sensor, a capacitive sensor, anacoustic wave sensor, or an infrared sensor.

The method 1500 may include separating the user motion of the input toolinto a horizontal component and a vertical component. The horizontalcomponent may be compared to the threshold to constrain horizontalmotion of the page 1210 in the display window 1205 if the horizontalcomponent does not exceed the threshold. Vertical motion may be leftunconstrained, or may be compared to the same or a different threshold.In other implementations, only vertical motion may be constrained.

Referring to FIG. 16, touch-and-drag scrolling of a display window 1600may be limited to the width and length of the display window. Forexample, as the user scrolls from left to right across the entire width1605 of the display 1600, the document slides across the screen adistance that is equal to the width 1605 of the display 1600. Thus,movement up, down, left, or right is limited to a distance that is equalto the length 1610 or width 1605 of the display 1600. The user must thenlift the pen or stylus from the screen and repeat the scrollingoperation.

Typical desktop computers can associate movement of the operating systemcursor with movement of the pointing device. In these systems, thecursor is both a software variable to detect user intentions and agraphic representation to provide the user with the location of thecursor. On a PDA, however, the cursor is not displayed on the screenbecause the tip of the pen already defines the location of the cursor.This location is forwarded to the application software by the operatingsystem.

The operating system uses drivers that convert the movement or theposition of the pointing device, which may be expressed in centimeters,to the movement of the cursor, which may be expressed in pixels. PDAsusually follow a paradigm inherited from the desktop computer, in thatmovement between the cursor is equivalent to movement of the document.Thus, the page scrolls an amount equal to the distance of the penmovement. For example, when the cursor moves 10 pixels, the documentscrolls 10 pixels.

On a PDA or other device with a small display, scrolling the width orlength of the display area provides viewing of only a small amount ofdocument data. The user often must repeat the scrolling operation untilthe desired text comes into view.

A scrolling multiplier allows the user to specify movement of thedocument on the display as a multiplier or percentage of the physicalmovement of the stylus on the display. For example, referring to FIG.17A, when the proportional movement is set to 200%, document scrolling1700 on a display 1705 is 20 pixels for each 10 pixels of stylus orother input movement 1710. When the proportional movement is set to 50%,the document scrolling is 5 pixels for each 10 pixels of stylus or otherinput movement on the display. Referring to FIG. 17B, when theproportional movement is set to 300%, the document scrolling 1715 is 30pixels for each 10 pixels of stylus or other input movement 1720 on thedisplay 1725.

As shown in FIG. 17A, when the proportional movement is set to 200% anda new display 1730 is centered around the endpoint 1735 of the maximumpotential document scrolling, the user has the capability to scroll adocument area that is nine times the area of the display window 1705.Similarly, as shown in FIG. 17B, when the proportional movement is setto 300% and a new display 1740 is centered around the endpoint 1745 ofthe maximum potential document scrolling, the user has the capability toscroll a document area that is 16 times the area of the display window1725. By contrast, when proportional movement is set to 100%, the useris able to scroll a document area that is four times the area of thedisplay window. Thus, increasing proportional movement provides the userwith the capability to scroll through several pages of the document witha single point-and-drag action. Alternatively, the user can make veryfine position adjustments by setting a multiplier that is less than one.

An additional benefit is the enhancement in the perceived responsivenessand scroll speed capability of the application software. Since with thesame action there is additional scrolling, the scrolling action appearsto occur at a higher velocity. Stated more simply, the motion of thedocument is perceived to be zippy instead of sluggish. In anotherimplementation, the user may set the multiplier based on the speed oracceleration of the pointing device. For example, a higher stylusvelocity translates into a higher multiplier to generate the appropriatenumber of pixels to move the cursor. In yet another implementation,different multipliers may be used for horizontal and vertical movement.

For illustrative purposes, FIG. 18 describes a communications system forimplementing a navigation aid to display information on an electronicdevice having limited display capability. For brevity, several elementsin FIG. 18 are represented as monolithic entities. However, as would beunderstood by one skilled in the art, these elements each may includenumerous interconnected computers and components designed to perform aset of specified operations and/or dedicated to a particulargeographical region.

Referring to FIG. 18, a communications system 1800 is capable ofdelivering and exchanging data between a client system 1805 and a hostsystem 1810 through a communications link 1815. The client system 1805typically includes one or more client devices 1820 and/or clientcontrollers 1825, and the host system 1810 typically includes one ormore host devices 1830 and/or host controllers 1835. For example, theclient system 1805 or the host system 1810 may include one or moregeneral-purpose computers (e.g., personal computers), one or morespecial-purpose computers (e.g., devices specifically programmed tocommunicate with each other and/or the client system 1805 or the hostsystem 1810), or a combination of one or more general-purpose computersand one or more special-purpose computers. The client system 1805 andthe host system 1810 may be arranged to operate within or in concertwith one or more other systems, such as, for example, one or more LANs(“Local Area Networks”) and/or one or more WANs (“Wide Area Networks”).

The client device 1820 (or the host device 1830) is generally capable ofexecuting instructions under the command of a client controller 1825 (ora host controller 1835) and is capable of processing instructions orqueries from the host system 1810. For example, the host system 1810 mayquery the client system 1805 as to the display size of the PDA device.The query may occur when the client 1805 and the host 1810 are connectedor at periodic time intervals. The client device 1820 (or the hostdevice 1830) is connected to the client controller 1825 (or the hostcontroller 1835) by a wired or wireless data pathway 1840 or 1845capable of delivering data.

Each of the client device 1820, the client controller 1825, the hostdevice 1830, and the host controller 1835 typically includes one or morehardware components and/or software components. An example of a clientdevice 1820 or a host device 1830 is a general-purpose computer (e.g., apersonal computer) capable of responding to and executing instructionsin a defined manner. Other examples include a special-purpose computer,a workstation, a server, a device, a component, other physical orvirtual equipment or some combination thereof capable of responding toand executing instructions. Often, the client device 1820 is implementedas a PDA or a mobile telephone.

An example of client controller 1825 or a host controller 1835 is asoftware application loaded on the client device 1820 or the host device1830 for commanding and directing communications enabled by the clientdevice 1820 or the host device 1830. Other examples include a program, apiece of code, an instruction, a device, a computer, a computer system,or a combination thereof, for independently or collectively instructingthe client device 1820 or the host device 1830 to interact and operateas described. The client controller 1825 and the host controller 1835may be embodied permanently or temporarily in any type of machine,component, physical or virtual equipment, storage medium, or propagatedsignal capable of providing instructions to the client device 1820 orthe host device 1830.

The communications link 1815 typically includes a delivery network 1850making a direct or indirect communication between the client system 1805and the host system 1810, irrespective of physical separation. Examplesof a delivery network 1850 include the Internet, the World Wide Web,WANs, LANs, analog or digital wired and wireless telephone networks(e.g., PSTN, ISDN, and xDSL), radio, television, cable, satellite,and/or any other delivery mechanism for carrying data. Thecommunications link 1850 may include communication pathways 1855, 1860that enable communications through the one or more delivery networks1850 described above. Each of the communication pathways 1855, 1860 mayinclude, for example, a wired, wireless, cable or satellitecommunication pathway.

The described processes and techniques may be performed by a browserrunning on the client system 1805 (e.g., a PDA). The processes andtechniques also may be performed at a host or other remote device (e.g.,a server) through which a web page is passed or from which a web page isreceived. The processes and techniques may be applied both to largedisplays and to small displays, to display windows that occupy varyingportions of a display, and to full screen displays.

A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it willbe understood that various modifications may be made. Accordingly, otherimplementations are within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: superimposing a viewingwindow on a page of information, wherein: the page of information islarger than the viewing window; and the viewing window reveals only asubset of the page of information; moving the viewing window relative tothe page of information in response to a user's manipulation of an inputtool; tracking a motion of the input tool when moving the viewing windowrelative to the page of information; comparing the motion of the inputtool to a threshold; determining whether the motion of the input toolexceeds the threshold; and snapping back the viewing window to anoriginal position if it is determined that the motion of the input tooldoes not exceed the threshold.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein:tracking the motion of the input tool includes tracking a horizontalmotion of the input tool; comparing the motion of the input tool to thethreshold includes comparing the horizontal motion of the input tool tothe threshold; determining whether the motion of the input tool exceedsthe threshold includes determining whether the horizontal motion of theinput tool exceeds the threshold; and snapping back the viewing windowto the original position includes snapping back the viewing window to anoriginal horizontal position if it is determined that the horizontalmotion of the input tool does not exceed the threshold.
 3. The method ofclaim 2 further comprising leaving a vertical position of the viewingwindow unchanged.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein: tracking the motionof the input tool includes tracking a vertical motion of the input tool;comparing the motion of the input tool to the threshold includescomparing the vertical motion of the input tool to the threshold;determining whether the motion of the input tool exceeds the thresholdincludes determining whether the vertical motion of the input toolexceeds the threshold; and snapping back the viewing window to theoriginal position includes snapping back the viewing window to anoriginal vertical position if it is determined that the vertical motionof the input tool does not exceed the threshold.
 5. The method of claim4 further comprising leaving a horizontal position of the viewing windowunchanged.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein comparing the motion of theinput tool to the threshold includes comparing the motion of the inputtool to a user-defined threshold.
 7. The method of claim 1 whereincomparing the motion of the input tool to the threshold includescomparing the motion of the input tool to a system-defined threshold. 8.The method of claim 1 wherein the page of information includes at leastone column of information and snapping back the viewing window to theoriginal position includes snapping back the viewing window to the atleast one column of information if it is determined that the motion ofthe input tool does not exceed the threshold.
 9. The method of claim 1wherein tracking the motion of the input tool further includes:determining that the input tool has been activated by the user, whereinthe activation of the input tool suggests an intent of relating themotion of the input tool to the motion of the viewing window; inresponse to the activation of the input tool, tracking the motion of theinput tool.
 10. The method of claim 9 further comprising terminating thetracking of the motion of the input tool upon determining that the inputtool has been deactivated, wherein the deactivation of the input toolsuggests and intent of ending the relationship between the motion of theinput tool and the viewing window.
 11. The method of claim 10 furthercomprising determining a position of the input tool at the time of theinput tool is deactivated and wherein comparing the motion of the inputtool to the threshold includes comparing the position of the input toolto the threshold.
 12. The method of claim 11 wherein: determiningwhether the motion of the input tool exceeds the threshold includesdetermining whether the position of the input tool exceeds thethreshold; and snapping back the viewing window to the original positionincludes snapping back the viewing window to the original position if itis determined that the position of the input tool does not exceed thethreshold.